


Doe's Eyes

by cherrystardustcatcher



Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, Help, I'm Bad At Tagging, Started Off As a One Shot But There May Be More
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26369164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrystardustcatcher/pseuds/cherrystardustcatcher
Summary: However, it was the brightness in the girl’s eyes that made her different than the ones before. It was the light that drew him in for a prolonged chase.
Relationships: Tora/Poppy Wilkes
Comments: 34
Kudos: 87





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! It's been a really, really long time since I've tried my hand at writing fanfic, but I just couldn't get this imagery/metaphor of Poppy and Tora out of my head. Sorry if anyone has done this one before, I just want to help contribute to a fandom that I've grown to love (to observe from afar, at least... I'm kinda shy, haha). Also, I'm sorry that this is so short. It seemed right to end this piece where I'd left it. 
> 
> Please feel free to leave feedback or any thoughts you have in the comments! This contains spoilers up through Episode 39, so if you've not read that far, go forth at your own risk. :)
> 
> Thank you for reading!!!!

Deer happen to be one creature of many that fall into the category of tiger’s prey. A tiger will stalk through the tall grasses, its massive paws falling soundlessly against the ground, until just the right moment. Then, orange and black meld into the surrounding trees as the predator bounds toward its meal, the chase short and successful with the tiger’s precision and mastery. 

Tora knew that he wanted her as soon as he saw her tumble out of the bushes. Her face was backlit by the late-afternoon sun, golden light turning the brown of her eyes into honey. On the train, those eyes met Tora’s for the first time, open wide like those of a frightened deer, knowing she’d been spotted. However, it was the brightness in the girl’s eyes that made her different than the ones before. It was the light that drew him in for a prolonged chase. 

He later learned her name. Poppy could be clumsy and too kind for her own good, but damn did she have a strong sense of survival. She was feisty and level-headed. A small part of Tora wished that sense was a little stronger, that she would pick up on the danger of him and bolt in the opposite direction, but a much larger part of him didn’t care. He sure didn’t get his reputation by being a pacifist; he could keep her safe for as long as they were helping each other out. He could deny his instincts this once, he could dance around her long enough to find the notebook and seek someone else to sate his hunger. 

That is, until the night on the balcony when he held her hand in his and those doe eyes were level with his own. The rightness of the slow chase, of their interlaced fingers, contradicted everything he thought he knew of his own nature‒ he wasn’t as much of a predator as he’d been taught. Poppy’s mouth on his, on the rooftop, and the smudge of green paint on her nose and trust in her eyes. Poppy’s hands in his hair, at Thug’s Pavilion, and the press of her small body against his side as they gazed at the distant lights of Narin City. At this point, Tora didn’t know whether who was hunting who‒ Poppy’s light touches and unexpected ferocity did more than enough to lure the Tiger in despite his efforts to stay away.

All Tora knew was that if he sunk his teeth into her, he would never need to hunt again. She would sustain him forever, soothe bone-deep hunger pains he’d long forgotten.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The tiger and the doe had danced around one another until the music of the wild inevitably faded into the quiet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was emboldened (and extremely touched) by the responses to "Doe's Eyes" and decided to attempt continuation. I promise that things will shake up a little after this-- I know that the chapter summary is a tad foreboding, but bear with me! I'm not 100% sure what kind of direction I want to take with this, nor am I sure of how often I'll be updating between college and work, but I'm gonna do my best to share the best writing I can with y'all :)
> 
> Forewarning: This chapter mentions spoilers through Episode 43

It seemed that the pursuit was over. Tora glanced up at Poppy across from the table in the small conference room of Giant Goldfish Publishing, where she and Quincey were hashing out the details of a new publishing contract. The finishing of the late Mrs. Lam’s novel had gone rather well, so well that Mr. Lam had invested slightly more than he’d promised into the small startup company. Quincey had enjoyed the environment and camaraderie of the publishing company and decided to stay with them, maintaining Poppy’s status as his editor and even joining the small staff on brunches. Their friendships had formed rather quickly, with Eredene especially so, and the successful writer’s partnership with Giant Goldfish had drawn in more investors and more clients over time. 

However, things between Tora and Poppy had ended barely before they’d even truly begun. The tiger and the doe had danced around one another until the music of the wild inevitably faded into the quiet. They’d gone on a handful of dates, eating at Alice’s again and returning to Thug’s Pavilion for more picnics after Tora’s initial attempt at distancing himself from her had failed, thanks to Quincey. He’d even slept over at her apartment once or twice. Poppy put on a movie, one that both of them actually enjoyed, Tora admitted to himself later on, after dinner, then another once the first one had ended. The second movie was merely background noise during prolonged moments of stolen kisses and quiet talk about plants, the goings-on of mutual friends, and shared silences as they half-watched the film, Poppy’s thumb drawing circles against the back of Tora’s hand. The first night, the kitchen lit the darkened living room as the lights of Narin City proper winked at Tora when Poppy had fallen asleep against the crook of his arm. By the time he thought to rouse her, after drifting off momentarily himself, the wee hours of the morning had come, and after Poppy apologized profusely for falling asleep and losing track of time, she offered him the couch to sleep on, which he did, fitfully. The second night, Poppy offered him the other side of her bed. Tora simply held her as she slept and when he slept too, he dreamed of nothing, for once.

It was after a series of run-ins with Scharch that the budding relationship had frosted over. Tora had been careful to maintain a division between those he worked with and Poppy, and vice versa, but apparently hadn’t been careful enough. Some weeks had passed since Poppy’s venturing onto Ares Street to save Mr. Lam when Scharch had happened upon Tora picking the brunette up from work. 

“You know, it’s a strange thing to see you in the daylight,” He had said, approaching Tora’s car, where the taller man had just opened the passenger-side door for Poppy and she was beginning to climb in. Scharch smiled. Tora’s mouth tightened imperceptibly, at least to anyone who wasn’t aware of the body language of the beasts that roam after the sun has long sunk.

“Tha’ same could be said about you.” Tora’s response was short. He’d sensed Poppy’s recognition of his coworker and the tension of her hand, which rested on the car door close to his own. 

“I’m over this way only for business, but I figured that passing by without speaking would be incredibly rude, especially considering your lovely companion. I’m Scharch, a coworker of Tora here.” Scharch’s attention honed in on Poppy, who then plastered a kind, fearless smile on her face and outstretched her hand.

“Poppy, Quincey’s new editor. Tora is taking me to help Quincey with some new pages.” Poppy tried to keep her expression from faltering as Scharch took her hand in his own, holding it for twice as long as he shook it. Her skin crawled.

“Right. I’ll let you two go on about your way, then. It was a pleasure.” Scharch turned to walk down the sidewalk, but not without glancing over his shoulder and waving to Poppy with a dangerous glint to his eye.

He first started by turning up at Giant Goldfish, running “errands”, and inviting Poppy out to The Miracle. Then, as Scharch does, he escalated‒ Tora was awakened one night by a notification from the motion sensor pointed toward Poppy’s balcony. He drove like a bat out of hell and was minutes away from the apartment complex when Scharch passed him. He’d never been more glad that he’d convinced Poppy, as well as her landlady, to allow him to install better locks and grilles on her balcony. Tora arrived to find an awake and terrified Poppy, the doe’s eyes alight with genuine fear for the third time of his several weeks knowing her (which is an incredibly low number, all considered). Tora was as transparent as he could be with her about the situation, wanting her to know exactly what kind of man had almost made it onto her balcony. Poppy was quiet and, though shaking, eerily composed. 

Tora handled it, as he does. But it was after that that Poppy closed off from him, finally fully sensing the danger that the Tiger carried with him. She did not dart from him as he’d expected but slowly detangled herself from the momentum of their intensifying circling of one another. The doe had escaped mostly unscathed, it seemed, marked only by a tendency to double-check her locks and look over her shoulder occasionally. Tora had witnessed these as his time with her dwindled to a close, but neither of them mentioned it. Eventually, there were hardly any words at all. Several months passed with complete silence.

Occasionally, now, Tora would take Poppy to Quincey’s after she got off of work, then home afterward. She did her best to have cordial small-talk, to be friendly-enough to not seem put off by being around him, but Tora pointedly did not notice the hint of sadness in her expression when he had to answer a particularly tense phone call while driving. Tora pointedly ignored his sadness, as well. He knew going into this that the odds weren’t in his favor‒ he’d live. He’d already survived so much worse disappointment, so what was this comparatively small loss in the long run? 

“Well, that appears to be everything,” Poppy’s chipper, business-oriented tone drew Tora out of his thoughts and his eyes upward from his long-ignored Mafia game; he’d been executed, once again. What a surprise. The woman across from him stood from her chair, speaking once more, “I’m so happy that you’ve chosen to continue working with us, Quincey! I can’t wait to see what we’ll be able to create together.”

“So am I, honey, so am I.” The blond grinned and stood as well, placing his hand on Tora’s shoulder. “And I’m glad to see you’re back in the land of the living. Just where did you run off to?” Quincey’s voice revealed a subtle hint of pity that only Tora could pick up. Tora shrugged, mumbling noncommittally, and got up to follow the chatting pair back into the main office space. He leaned against a desk close to Poppy’s casually as she and Quincey discussed future dinner plans and scheduled beta-readings and Tora tried hard not to listen. A stack of papers tumbled off of Poppy’s table somewhere between one conversation topic and another as the young woman multitasked and when Tora thoughtlessly knelt to gather them, she was already halfway to them. Their hands brushed before their gazes did and Poppy faltered, withdrawing. Tora stood, pages still disheveled in his hands, and offered them to her.

“Here, ya dropped these.” Doe’s eyes met his own, startled but not afraid, this time, and she gently accepted her stack of notes. Underneath the fluorescent buzz of the office lighting, Tora saw her still as he had that very first day, enrobed in the late-afternoon sun, dripping gold on all it touched. They both held the papers for a moment too long, holding one another’s attention fully, mutually, for the first time since the frost came. Tora released the notes and settled back against the table, where he stayed until Poppy had neatened her workspace once more and wrapped up her conversation with Quincey. He caught the glances she sent his way, her expression guarded yet pensive, switching back to positivity as soon as she turned back toward the princess. 

When Tora left with Quincey in tow, the blond spoke from the passenger seat of his car: “I know you don’t like to talk about your feelings, dear, but are you okay? Every time we meet with‒”

“Drop it.” Tora’s tone of voice made even the stereo lower the volume a few notches. Quincey waited, patient. Tora sighed, then continued, softer, “I’m fine. I lived twenty-seven years without her, I can do it again. Ya act like we were that serious, anyway.”

“That was serious, for you.”

“I’m fine.”

Later that evening, as he smoked while lying on the couch, the memory of the afternoon light mingling with that of the office returned to Tora, as well as Poppy’s hand brushing against his own amongst the spilled papers. He remembered her momentarily-open face turned up to him, her mouth moving to form words that he didn’t quite hear. Tora remembered.

The tiger felt the hunger, the yearning, twist inside of him. The hunt was over, but he’d lacked any interest in a new one. The doe’s scent still stung his nose, his instincts warning him to take advantage of his proximity, or else he would never know the satiation he quietly, secretly craved. The tiger chain-smoked, telling himself that nicotine would have to do‒ his doe would have to actively return before he considered resuming the hunt, completely accepting the consequences of the moment of her capture; even then, the tiger still was not sure that he would feast‒ having already gotten a taste of his prey, he was even less confident in his ability to let her go the next time. The music of the wild, the tiger swore to himself, is what he missed the most.

Tora was barely asleep when he got a text. He startled awake and reached for his phone--

"Bobby: Hey… I think we should talk."


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She’d felt the swelling of the music inside the deepest parts of her being, the crescendo much too loud to deny."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm back with another chapter for y'all! This one is more reflective on Poppy's part and gives some insight into her thoughts and feelings toward the whole situation, so there's no real action in this chapter. Also, please let me know if any of this screams "out of character" for either of our lovebirds... I'm still rather new to writing fanfic and have a habit of internalizing some characters too much. My interpretation of Poppy may be wayyy far off... 
> 
> Anyways, I'll try to have another update as soon as I can. Things should be moving forward in the next chapter. Thank you for reading and for being so supportive! :)))

Poppy was well aware of what it’s like to be preyed on. When she was in grade school, those who hunted her did so with cruel amusement in their eyes. Her father, knowing how powerless she felt against those bigger children, taught her everything she needed to know in order to do more than survive in a world of predators‒ she would be to move upward in that world, he’d hoped, and thrive.

Julri had been a predator in disguise. He would strike when she least expected it, pushing for more and more of herself than what she was ready‒ or even able to, at the time‒ to give. He preyed on her willingness to accommodate others and pressed to the point of nearly losing sight of herself.

Tora. Well, anyone could look at Tora and assume what he was: his massive form had been carefully curated and geared toward danger and intimidation, whether by himself or someone else. Poppy saw the hunger in his eyes when they met her own, though it was a hunger different than those she’d encountered before. It didn’t appear that he hungered for her belittlement or humiliation, nor for what she could offer him physically, but for Poppy as a whole. Simply everything. And his hunger was almost self-abashed, at first, as though he desperately did not want to feel that way, or at the very least wanted to attempt at not acting upon it. The tiger was different from the ones who’d hunted the doe before; this time, her fear wasn’t as acute. It lingered, because one would have to be a fool to deny the risks that a man like Tora carried with him, but it did not stop her from entertaining the chase.

Until Scharch happened, of course. She recognized him almost immediately that day he approached Tora’s car. Tora’d instructed her to tell him if Scharch made any other appearances and she did, sending a text every time the pale, sharkish man showed up at Giant Goldfish. They’d installed grilles on her balcony and better locks on the sliding door. And it turned out that those grilles are what saved her from an unfortunate turn of events. She’d become a light sleeper over the course of those weeks marked by Scharch’s daytime visits, so the sound of metal jangling quietly and thuds outside of the glass door leading to her balcony jolted her out of her sleep. Later that night, after she was well out of bed and the noises had stopped entirely, Tora said that if Scharch had really wanted in the grilles wouldn’t have stopped him, that he’d probably decided that the effort was too much trouble for tonight. Then, Tora told her exactly what Scharch was capable of, for her own safety, he’d said. Poppy wished he hadn’t. 

Poppy wasn’t sure exactly when she’d begun withdrawing herself from their slow-paced dance around one another. Perhaps it was that night, or the one when Tora came home with blood still on his face, when he “handled” it. Perhaps Poppy realized that she was one wrong step away from being deeper in Tora’s world than she’d ever wanted to be. It’s not that she doubted Tora’s ability to protect her, she was well aware, now, what he was capable of. It’s that it was too much, far too soon. She’d had so many changes in just a handful of months. She’d never checked her locks before, especially so many times before feeling safe alone, nor had she ever felt the sudden desire to own anything more powerful than her pink taser. She did now. So, without giving herself any time to second-guess herself, Poppy went through yet another change in a new hunt for stability, walking away from the tiger and back into the forest that she’d stumbled out of. 

The months that had passed were lonely. Countless evenings went by that Poppy’s sadness and doubt returned when she made a sole undecorated rice ball to go with her dinner. The car rides from Giant Goldfish to Quincey’s and then to her apartment were the worst. Tora, it appeared, had been left unaffected by their short time together. But upon closer inspection, which Poppy had plenty of time for now that she wasn’t as nervous of him, she noticed the way Tora gripped the steering wheel when she was in the car with him, the way his lips pressed into a thin line when she casually asked him how he was doing, the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn’t paying attention. Poppy tried to tell herself that things were better for both of them this way, but she knew she was wrong when she had to stop herself from sending him a photo of her latest painting, which was so much darker than those previous. Or was it when she figured out that she could only fall asleep, and sleep well, if she imagined that he was still holding her, thought about those hands that swallowed her own and seemed to call them home? Tora had made it clear that he wanted her, yet maintained a level of respect that Julri never bothered to attempt. 

Poppy had been debating on reaching out to Tora, on whether it was better to just leave things as they lay or to try again, now that she felt… more prepared? There was no good way to word it. All Poppy knew was that while she could live without Tora, life didn’t feel as vibrant, as full as it had with him consistently in it.

After brushing hands with Tora at her work and feeling everything she hadn't allowed herself to for months in a single lasting tidal wave, as well as a bottle of wine shared with Eredene that night over a tearful explanation of her dilemma, Poppy decided to text him. What could it hurt? Scratch that, Poppy thought, it could hurt a lot of things, hurt her in places of herself that she was a stranger to, if things truly went south this time. Scratch that, too‒ Poppy deserved to be impulsive this once. She knew what she was getting herself into, now, and she’d decided that it was worth everything to get to see those dimples flash her way again. 

And so the doe stepped back into the tiger’s territory. He’d surely noticed her, at this point. She’d felt the swelling of the music inside the deepest parts of her being, the crescendo much too loud to deny. The doe was ready to resume their dance, to start a different kind of hunt‒ one where she’d bare her neck before his teeth and invite him to take the first bite.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their dance had begun once again, closer now, with deer’s hooves leading the progression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy so this is going to be the last chapter! I'm sorry about the lack of updates-- life has gotten really busy between school and work and I've lacked the energy, motivation, and inspiration to write.   
> Thank you for keeping up with this little fic of mine. Y'all's kind words have helped me find some confidence in my prose skills (I usually write poetry, so fiction has definitely been a step outside my comfort zone). I hope that this last chapter wraps everything up in a satisfying way for you all :)

Tora had been on the receiving end of flirty, emotional, or downright sexual declarations before. People found him attractive, he knew this, and he’d grown jaded toward the reachings-out of willing prey. But never had the tiger felt so uncertain about who’d cornered who. Those simple words, the ones he blankly stared at, his face illuminated blue in the darkness of his shoddy apartment‒ “Hey, I think we should talk.”-- made him feel as though he were backed against the wall of his own den. Who was he to tell her no? Could he even if he wanted to? 

Tora sat up from the couch and cradled his phone between his knees. He stayed that way for several minutes, then responded: 

Tora: Okay. When?  
~~~  
Tora: I’m here.

Poppy read the text right after her phone dinged, then hurried to buzz her… whatever he was to her, now, in. She paced back and forth between the door, the small kitchen, and the low table she used for dining, her hands smoothing her hair again and again, soothing. When a knock‒ his knock‒ sounded against her door, Poppy forced herself to calmly walk over and let Tora in. It had been months since his shadow filled her doorframe. His eyes held her own for moments too long, caught in one another’s grasp once again, before she stepped aside. Tora closed the door behind him, twisting and sliding all three locks into their respective places. 

“How have you been, Tora?” Poppy smiled as one did when searching for an icebreaker. He shrugged noncommittally, taking in the warmth and intimacy of Poppy’s home. 

“I can’t really complain. And you?”

“Same.” Poppy’s hand came to rest on the back of her neck. She inwardly cursed herself for her awkwardness while Tora simply stood there, impassive. She continued, “Dinner’s ready. You can take a seat at the table and I’ll bring everything out…” Poppy fluttered off into the kitchen, where she took a deep breath and began to gather the already-plated meal. Tora was in his usual spot when she returned, staring down into his lap at his hands, only looking up when she set his plate down. 

They ate in relative silence. The pair casually, and sparingly, caught up with one another’s lives as they desperately attempted to not pay any mind to the similarity of this meal and the first one Poppy had prepared for him, the only difference being the faceless riceballs and the newness of simmering potential. Though they only sat a couple of feet apart, Poppy felt miles away from the man whose arms she once slept in. She decided that she hated the distance. 

Almost on cue, Tora began: “What did you want to talk about?”

“I’m sorry for disappearing on you, Tora. I really am. 

“I… kind of shut down after what happened with… after what happened. I didn’t feel safe anymore, no matter the locks on my doors and your promises. I even doubted my trust in you and your ability to protect me, especially the night that you ‘handled it’. I was unsure of a lot of things. 

“However, I don’t like conflict. Despite this I try to do what’s best for me. I disappeared from myself then, too, so I didn’t see any way I could tell you what I was feeling and experiencing. But I didn’t want to hesitate like I’ve done in the past, or wait until it was too late. So I did what I could manage: absolutely nothing. I stayed in this very room and watched the balcony and the windows. I stopped texting back like I had and weaseled out of dates until you got the hint, like an idiot.

“And I’m sorry for not saying all of this sooner. I thought, after I’d come back to myself a couple of months ago, that staying away would be for the best… for both of us. But instead I found that life feels so much emptier without you than it had before I even met you. I… want to try again. Better this time.” Poppy concluded with a sigh. Tora held her gaze for a long moment with a carefully-blank expression. Poppy’s own expression is guarded, too, for once.

“I told you from the start that you had to be all-in or all-out. I don’t do halfway. I can’t. You had me convinced that you wanted nothing to do with me, which is fine. I understand why ‘ya froze over and I respect it, just as I promised. But why should I trust this? Tell me why I should trust that you’re not gonna get scared at the next bump in the road and run off again.” Tora’s voice began cooly and gradually softened, his question hanging over the room like a winding sheet. The tiger’s eyes burned into the doe’s.

Poppy weighed her words carefully, knowing what rested on her response. “I fully know what I’m walking into now, and I’m doing so willingly. I’ve decided that it’s worth it. All the late nights, the fear, the blood‒ all of it is worth it if that means I get to be with you. And it’s not like you… informed me, last time. I went in blind. Now.. I’m not. I’m not the same person I was when we first got together.” Tora winced slightly at this, knowing the reason for her change. “I’m prepared, now. And I want to try again. Properly. Completely.” 

Tora stared at Poppy for a short time, taking in her words and weighing his options. Fuck it, he decided, he was hungry. He sipped his tea, then scooted around the dining table to sit beside the woman who’d ensnared him, whose clutches he’d not managed to walk out of. Tora waited. Poppy moved first, kissing him gently, and it was she who deepened the kiss. Their dance had begun once again, closer now, with deer’s hooves leading the progression. Poppy pulled Tora’s hair from the strawberry elastic and he gathered her in his arms, lifting them both from the floor, dinner plates and cooling tea forgotten.

The tiger, at last, sank his teeth into the throat of his doe. The doe denied her nature and had a taste of her own. Blood touched her tongue for the first time and, startled, she realized that she’d never be satiated elsewhere. 

~~~  
Later that night, Tora gazed at Poppy as she laid in his arms, their limbs and the sheets tangled together. His sweat had long dried against his skin and he knew that he needed to rouse the small woman so she could go to the restroom, but he couldn’t bring himself to disturb her. She dozed, her head lolled over on his chest and her head splayed out around her, a lone curl falling against her mouth. Tora gently brushed the curl away and cupped her cheek in his palm. He was glad that they’d waited, now. The timing was just right. Poppy had always held some part of herself back, locked away, but now he was truly able to have her fully. Completely. 

Poppy’s eyes slowly opened, blinking away fuzzy sleep and a leftover abundance of sensation. 

“You gotta go clean up, sweetheart.”

“I know, I know,” Her voice was soft, honey, “But you’re so comfy.” Tora chuckled quietly. Then more serious, he spoke again.

“What’s next? For us, I mean.”

“Hmm… That’s a big question for a late-night cuddle.” Poppy sat up a little, pushing herself up on her elbows so that she could look directly into Tora’s eyes. “Honestly, I don’t know. I didn’t think that I would get this far… especially this far. But I do know that whatever does come next, I want it to be us. Together.” She smiled, and Tora found himself smiling back gently.

“Okay. That’s what I want too… Are ‘ya gonna go pee now? ‘Cause I’m ready to sleep.” Poppy lightly smacked him on the arm and climbed out of bed, her bare feet pattering down the hall. Tora rolled onto his back properly, stretching his arms so that his head would be pillowed by them. He was still smiling.

At last, the tiger had his meal and felt full. With sweet blood on his lips, he licked them again and again, despite knowing that he’d never be without it again. He couldn't get enough.


End file.
